Janne Koivistoinen: "I enjoy life as a Graphic Designer"

The Web designer I am researching is Janne Koivistoinen. He has a aesthetic somewhere between snapshot photography and minimalist. He was born in a little factory city called Varkaus in Finland. He first started working with computers when he was very young but had no Internet; instead Koivistoinen explored Windows 95 “to see if there was anything I might have missed”. As a teen he became very interested in Graffiti, an influence seen in may of his commercial works with bold colors and a more urban feel.  He started publicly posting graffiti inspired art on Deviant Art.

He started using Photoshop when he was 14 and by the time he was 16 he launched his first website. In 2006 he had his first commission, a website and rebranding for a Finnish rock festival. The site was very successful and well liked.

He starts work by brainstorming descriptions and words he wants to have in the site and then begins a sketch or starts directly in Illustrator or Photoshop. He completes the layout, and sometimes the entire design, in only a few hours.

He usually doesn’t have a plain background, even when he does he uses lighting to attract attention to target links and subtly add interest. 

He likes to use the Fibonacci sequence, subtle gradients, and the careful use of empty space.  His biggest recommendation for site designers who want to make money is simply “Put Yourself in the buyer’s shoes”. He comments that organization of files is necessary and that great commercial sites create emotion.

Sources

Douglass, Drew. "Inside the Minds of 7 Great ThemeForest Designers: kuimu." Janne Koivistoinen (kuimu). http://blog.themeforest.net/general/inside-the-minds-of-7-great-themeforest-designers-kuimu/ (accessed November 22, 2013).

Koivistoinen, Janne. "I enjoy life as a Graphic Designer." Janne Koivistoinen Portfolio RSS. http://janne.me/ (accessed November 22, 2013).